PRESERVING YOUR CHRISTMAS OR HOLIDAY ORNAMENTS

After the extensive Texas heat, some people have found this season that their Christmas and/or holiday ornaments have not survived. To help preserve your ornaments after this year's festivities you can wrap them in acid free paper to protect them. White acid free tissue paper can be found at Amazon.

FRUGAL FALL DECORATING TIPS

Fill clear containers, baskets or a colorful plate that you have around the house with varieties of colorful miniature pumpkins and gourds, colorful leaves etc.

Cover various colorful leaves that have fallen outside with a moisturizer.Let the leaves dry completely and scatter them around the house.

You can use all shapes and sizes of pumpkins as vases for flowers. Clean out the pumpkin's flesh and seeds, then arrange your flowers inside. Just cut the stems of the flowers to fit the size of your pumpkin. Of course, florists are always full of ideas and have ready made bouquets that you could use.

Glue a variety of branches, acorns, walnuts, pinecones and other natural things found outdoors to make a topiary out of a foam forms that you can find at your local Dollar Store. 

SAVE MONEY-COUPONS

Target offers many coupons on-line. To find their offers, click on the link below.

http://coupons.target.com/

DEAL OF THE DAY WAL MART CHRISTMAS TREE BUNDLE

This deal of day includes an artificial Christmas Tree and ornaments for $40.00.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Artificial-Christmas-Tree-Value-Bundle/17656887

OAK WILT

According to the USDA Forest Service. In Texas and 20 other states, Oak Wilt is becoming a serious problem. Oak wilt, caused by the fungus Ceratocystis fagacearum (Bretz) Hunt, kills oak trees. There has been serious damage occurring in the Midwest. It was first recognized as an important disease in 1944 in Wisconsin (fig. 1) where, in localized areas (less than 100 acres (40.4 ha)), over half the oaks have been killed. Surveys in eight Wisconsin counties showed that about 11 percent of the annual growth increase of oak forests was offset by mortality caused by oak wilt.

To learn more about Oak Wilt click on the links  below.

http://na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/fidls/oakwilt/oakwilt.htm

http://www.texasoakwilt.org/Documents/Stewardship/OakWilt_English.pdf

http://oakwilt.com/spanish/english.html

Holiday & Celebration Recipes | Taste of Home Recipes

Visit Taste of Home for Holiday and Celebration Recipes! Holiday & Celebration Recipes Taste of Home Recipes

Thanksgiving 911: Fixing 3 dinner diasters

Thanksgiving 911: Fixing 3 dinner diasters

COFFEE GROUNDS IN THE GARDEN

Coffee grounds can be beneficial to your garden as compost. Add them in by sprinkling the onto the soil. You can rake them into the soil, if you wish. Its that simple. Coffee grounds are a good source of nitrogen and additionally contain potassium, magnesium, calcium and other minerals.
Coffee grounds can also be used to keep slugs away. Sprinkle around plants you wish to protect.
You can get used coffee grounds at Starbucks for free.

FOR THE BIRDS

Take care of your little winged friends this winter. Your feeders should be cleaned out and filled. Provide water by adding a water feature. Winter is approaching and keeping birds in your garden and yard can be very helpful. Birds are pollinators and eat unwanted insects. Cardinals seem to crowd around my house in the winter. I enjoy watching them. What types of birds do you see?

 The photo was found at http://www.weforanimals.com/.

Would like to take the time today to thank all of those veterans out there who have sacrificed so much for us, thank you and GOD BLESS YOU!

TIME TO WINTERIZE YOUR GARDEN

After the freeze this morning, now is definitely the time to start winterizing your garden. Now is the time to clean the beds and put new mulch down. By doing this you will avoid the necessity of heavy weeding in the Spring and will help protect plants from a deep freeze. Preserve tender plants by covering them with old sheets before a freeze.

NOVEMBER TASKS

Iris-It's a great time to divide!

Plant cool-season color using snapdraggons, pansies, primroses, chrysanthemums, Iceland poppies and assorted annuals. Plant new shrubs and trees. Sow wildflower seeds now for a spring show. Plant spring-blooming bulbs like tulips, daffodils, hyacinth, narcissus.Transplant and divide crowded perennials. Plant them in another part of your garden or give them away as gifts. You can transplant bulbs, rhizomes, chives, garlic and multiplying onions. Clean out beds. Remove leaves and dead plant material.Mulch beds after the first frost.Cut back shrubs. Remove broken and dead wood. Cover frost sensitive plants.Amend soil.Take care of your trees by watering before a freeze and replacing damaged stakes.Wrap pipes, faucets and sprinkler valves.

           

SURVIVING THE TEXAS DROUGHT

These plants stood up to the Texas drought this summer in my garden! Lantanas: They've come back with an abundance of flowers! This is my favorite plant and I highly recommend it for your Texas garden. They come in a variety of colors and outshine any plant I have. They bloom from spring to the first freeze. Knockout Roses: These disease resistant roses are resilient with green foliage in winter and a must have in any Texas garden. Bearded Irises: Rhizomes that bloom in the Spring. Their foliage add color and interest all year long.Crepe Myrtle: A beautiful shrub that comes in many colors and many sizes. Salvia commonly referred to as Sage: Come in a large variety of plants which belong to the mint family. The list is endless with up to 700-900 species of shrubs, herbaceous perrenials, and annuals to choose from.

Regional Gardening Reports :: National Gardening Association

Asters--Love 'Em and Leave 'Em Regional Gardening Reports :: National Gardening Association

FALL IS IN THE AIR

After the exhausting summer heat we’ve had, now is a great time to take advantage of the cooler weather in Texas. It’s a great time for planting spring bulbs, trees and shrubs. Plant Pansies, Ornamental Cabbage, Dianthus and Mums. Don’t forget to supplement your soil to replenish it from the drought before planting! Additionally, now is the time to be on the lookout for cabbageworms and aphids. Cabbageworms can be controlled with a worm killer. Ladybugs can aid in the fight against aphids or you can soak them with a concoction of 2 tablespoons of dish soap to a gallon of water. Don’t pull up clover and vetch because they are great attractants for lady bugs. Other insects can be controlled by handpicking, by spraying them with water, or by attracting birds. By attracting birds you get to enjoy their singing and babies in the Spring, but you’ll get the benefit of insect control. Purple Martins, Scissortail, Mockingbirds and Bluebirds are great insect eaters.

GROUND COVERS

Ajuga Reptans Seed - 400 Seeds 


Chocolate Chip Ajuga blooming blue flower spikes in the Spring

 

Ground cover plants are a great way to cover more space in your garden and landscape. They are also useful for small spaces and for places where other plants won’t grow. They can help with any erosion problems that you may have in your yard. Of course, you need to take into consideration growth rate, height, sun or shade, type of soil, location and drought tolerance when selecting a ground cover that is right for you. You should space groundcovers 12 to 18 inches apart.  I recommend planting evergreen ground cover plants for an all season effect. Two of my favorites are succulents such as colorful Sedums (full sun) and Chocolate Chip Ajuga aka Bugleweed (shade). Other recommendations are Trailing Juniper, Mondo grass and Liriope. Vinca, ivy and vines are also great ground covers but they tend to take over, so be careful where you plant them.

BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THE HARLEQUIN BUG

Yesterday, I found a small orange bug with blackspots on my Kale. It has left wholes in the Kale and some leaves have turned dry and brown.After researching the pest, I found it to be a Harlequin bug. These bugs are about a 1/2 inch long and love to suck the juices out of cabbage plants, kale, brocolli etc. The leaves will turn brown and the plant will eventually die. They will also attack other vegetable plants, when nothing else is available. The best way to control them is by handpicking them and squishing them.

PESKY TOMATO WORMS

There are many types of pesky worms that can cause damage to your tomato crop including pinworms, fruitworm and hornworms. Some pests can be controlled by handpicking, insecticidal soap and parasitic insects but some may need to be controlled by Sevin dust. Pinworms are about ¼ inch long and are yellow greenish or purplish black with brown heads. Look for webbing inside on the inside of your leaves and pinholes at the base of the stem of developing flowers and the tomatoes. The fruitworm will cause damage to the actual tomato on the plant. You should look for a small hole bore at the bottom of you tomatoes. Parasitic wasps can be a great way to control the fruit worm. Hornworms evolve into a moth and are green and are very difficult to see. They can reach 3 to 4 inches in length at maturity. They will chew on your leaves and your tomatoes. You could first try handpicking a mild infestation. You can make your own insecticidal soap by adding 4 teaspoons of liquid soap, onion horseradish, garlic, cayenne pepper to 2 quarts of water, boil, put in a jar with a lid on it and let it sit overnight. Strain and then transfer the concoction to a spray bottle. If you do not need this much you can cut the recipe in half and freeze any remaining. Because it is a pesticide and pesticides carry with them the danger of affecting human health, I only recommend putting Sevin dust when you have no other alternative. Don’t use on the actual tomato but put it around your plant and on the leaves. You should always thoroughly wash your tomatoes before eating them. At the end of the season till your soil and it will kill many of the larvae left behind by these pesky worms. If you are not sure what type of pest is affecting your plants the internet is a great resource and will provide pictures along with ways to control them.

BUTTERFLY ATTRACTANTS

Butterlies love sunny areas and plants such as Lantana, Butterfly Bush, Marigold, Butterfly Weed, Salvia, Cosmos, Dianthus, Rosemary, Honeysuckle Vine, Wisteria Vine and Passion Flower Vines, and Parsley, to name a few.  Do not use insecticides on these plants because you will defeat your purpose.  A combination of these plants will provide food and nectar. Additionally, you can welcome butterflies by providing water in a pot saucer with about an inch of sand and then add pebbles. The butterfly in the picture is a Tiger Swallowtail. You will benefit from attracting butterflies to your garden in that they will fly from one plant to the other for nectar and the pollen will stick to them and they will unintentionally fertilize your flowers and crops. Watching butterflies flutter by and trying to identify them is just another way for you to enjoy you and your family to enjoy your garden.

BAKING SODA IN THE GARDEN

Baking Soda has multipurposes in the garden. You can use it as a pesticide, to discourage pests including rabbits, kill weeds, use it as a fertilizer for your houseplants and use it to check to see if your soil is acidic.

Use baking soda in the following ways:

• Pesticide
• Take 1 cup of cooking oil, 6 tsps. of baking soda and 3 cups of water, fill a sprayer and use it to kill white flies, aphids and spider mites.
•  In warm climates you can sprinkle baking soda full strength on crabgrass to kill it. You may need more than one application.
• Take 1 gallon of water and add a tablespoon of baking soda and use it to prevent powdery mildew. This will only work as a preventative.
• Discourage pests
• Sprinkle baking soda around the soil of your garden and it will keep rabbits, ants, silver fish and roaches away. Put directly onto slugs to kill them. Be careful not to get it on the plants.
• Kill weeds
• Sprinkle directly on weeds growing in and around your sidewalk and driveway cracks. This may a take more than one application.
• Fertilizer
• Take a gallon of warm water and mix 1 tsp. of each epsom salt, baking powder, saltpeter and 1/2 teaspon of ammonia. Use this as a fertilizer in your houseplants
• PH level
• Wet soil and take a small amount of baking soda and sprinkle onto soil, if it bubbles your soil is acidic with a PH level under 5.

Using baking soda in the garden gives you an alternative to using other harsh chemicals to prevent some of the problems you face everyday in your garden. It is also economical.

LISTEN TO THE BIRDS SING

Attracting birds to your garden can be fun and will provide vast opportunities to watch and enjoy birds in your garden. To attract birds you need to provide water, food and shelter.

Water: Provide water by adding a fountain, birdbath or pond to your garden. There are all types available at your local nursery or garden store. It's just a matter of preference.

Food: Hyssop, Anise Hyssop, Comfrey, Rosemary, and Catmint will attract hummingbirds. Trumpet shaped plants will also attract hummingbirds. You can attract other birds with berries by planting Chokeberry Mulberry, Serviceberry and Elderberry bushes. Flowers such as Cosmos and Sunflowers also provide seeds for birds. Dogwood trees also provide berries that attract bluebirds. Feeders such as hummingbird feeders, finch feeders and birdseed feeders also provide food for birds.

Shelter: Thistle and milkweed contain materials that birds use to make their nests. I also use hanging baskets made with natural materials that birds get building materials from. You can also provide birdhouses for them to nest in and plant trees and bushes.

I enjoy sitting outside and listening to and watching the birds. It's very relaxing. I recommend that you listen to the birds sing.

The below link is an interesting video of a Cardinal feeding its babies.

http://youtu.be/LjVsA5oT-Sw

DON'T STEAL FOOD...PLANT A GARDEN

 Vegetable bandits strike as food prices soar...

The high price of produce, especially for tomatoes after the deep winter freezes, has attracted the attention of a ring of sophisticated vegetable bandits.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42603382/ns/us_news-the_new_york_times/from/toolbar

CONSERVING WATER IN YOUR GARDEN AND YARD

With summer rapidly approaching, now is the time to consider water conservation. Most places face water shortages and have water restrictions. Summer is the critical period when trees and plants require more water. As populations continue to grow, more water shortages will occur.  As they should, more cities are beginning to monitor and restrict water waste. Water preservation is economical and environmentally friendly.

You can conserve water in your garden or yard by:

• Installing a rain barrel;
• Grouping plants together based on their individual water need;
• Planting drought tolerant and native plants;
• Reusing water used in the household, such as diverting the water from your rinse cycle from the washing machine into a barrell and using the dish rinse water. 
• Using drip hoses; and
• Setting your lawnmower blade at 3 inches.

Conserving water and improving our environment is everyone’s responsibility. Please do your part. If you have other methods of conserving water, please leave a comment and I will add it to this post.

TEST YOUR SOILS PH LEVELS

Knowing your soils composition is important to the health of your plants. Soil provides the foundation for your plant growth. Good soil feeds your plants. It needs to have the right ph balance for the plants that you are growing. Plants such as azaleas and rhododendrons prefer a more acidic soil, where iron is freely available; if they don’t have it the leaves will become yellow between the veins.

To test your soil dig 6 to 8 inches deep and mix a few samples of soil gathered at different places in your yard with equal parts of water and then bury a piece of litmus paper strip in the soil. Leave in for 10 seconds, remove the strip and rinse. If the paper strip is pink then the soil is acidic. If it is blue, then leave it in an additional five minutes, remove, if it is tinged pink then the soil is slightly acidic, if it still blue then the soil is alkaline.

You can also use baking soda to test if your soil is acidic. Water your soil and sprinkle baking soda onto it, if it bubbles, the soil is acidic. You can also buy a test kit at your local garden store to do it yourself.

Add Peat Moss or small amounts of Aluminum Sulphate to neutralize alkaline soil. Add Dolomitic Lime to neutralize acid soils. Always read the labels to determine the right amount of product to use. Compost will also help neutralize soil pH and add nutrients at the same time.  

Garden Know-how: Disease Prevention Basics

Garden Know-how: Disease Prevention Basics

USES FOR VINEGAR IN THE GARDEN

Use vinegar in your garden to:

Kill unwanted weeds (Full strength)

Keep ants away.

Clean garden tools, birdbaths, furniture, tables and clean hummingbird feeders. (Full strength, rinse feeder & birdbath well)

Boost  azaleas, rhododendrons, hydrangeas and gardenias (1 cup of white distilled vinegar per gallon of tap water.)

Discourage animals in an area.

Preserve and freshen cut flowers.  (2 tbsp. of white distilled vinegar & 1 tsp. of sugar)

Sanitize outdoor furniture and tables.

Spray to kill slugs (1 part water and 1 part white distilled vinegar.)

Place soaked cotton balls into a small container with lid, poke a hole in the top and place in the garden to keep rabbits from eating your plants.

Remove stains on your hands.

Wash vegetables (1 tbsp of white distilled vinegar in 1 ½ quarts of water)

APRIL CHORES

Spring has sprung. It's time to start working in the garden. Weed now to get a good start and make it easier on you later. Mulches will help you keep weed growth down and make weeds easier to pull. Weeding after a rain is also easier. Now is the time to plant warm season annual seeds directly into your flower bed or in containers. Follow the directions on the package. You will need to keep the seeded areas moist until germination. Thin them out when they are large enough to transplant. Plant any excess seedlings into other areas of your garden, if you wish. You can also purchase annuals for instant color. Additionally ,it's time to remove spent flowers, trim back excessive growth, and apply fertilizer in your established beds. Look at new soil you buy, before use, for contamination. Prune spring-flowering shrubs after flowering and fertilize roses. Insects to be on the lookout for include aphids and bagworms. Large numbers need to be controlled by pestides. However, if there are few of these pests, then you can use other methods. You can use a water hose to remove aphids and you can control bagworms by picking them off and burning them.

TOP FIVE EDIBLE ANTIOXIDANT HER BS AND THEIR USES

Five common edible herbs with high levels of antioxidants.

Oregano:  Use in italian dishes. Great for pestos, tomato sauces, pizza, stew and chicken dishes. Dried leaves are best.

Sage: -Use sparingly in dressing, chicken, pork. Add to charcoal when grilling to add flavor to meats.

Peppermint:  Add to chilled drinks, salads, hot and cold soup, fish, cooked peas, mint jelly, peppermint tea, and ice cream.

Thyme: Soups, casseroles, breads and pizza.

Lemon Balm: Fruit salad, herb butter, fruit drinks, sorbet, egg dishes, custard, soup and casseroles.

ANNUAL HERBS

Basil:  Grow from seed in full sun. Use in anything with tomatoes.

Coriander: Seed should be sown in spring in sun or partial shade. Coriander Seed is used in leaves in salad, confections, oriental and eastern food.

Dill: Seed sown in early spring in sun or partial shade. Dill has feathery foliage and the seeds used for flavoring and pickling. Attracts butterflies.

Parsley: Grow from seed. Parsley is slow to germinate. Sun. Biennial (reseeds on it’s own.)This herb brings out the flavors of other herbs and is high in vitamin C. Attracts butterflies.

PERENNIAL HERBS

Catnip:  Hardy; sun or shade. You can plant by seed or division. Use leaves for soothing tea.

Chives & Garlic Chives: You can plant by seed or division and should divide when overcrowded.

                       

Lemon Verbena: Tender perennial; propagate from cuttings. Sun or partial shade. Strong lemon scent. Used in teas or in potpourri

                                               

Mints:  Grow from cuttings or division. Sun or partial shade. Aromatic; used as flavoring.

Oregano: Grow from seed, cuttings, or division. Sun. Flavoring for tomato/pasta dishes.

                       

Rosemary:  Grows in well-drained nonacid soil from cuttings. Sun. Leaves flavor sauces, poultry, soups. Good for meats, rice. Grown as topiary, and bonsai.

                                   

Sage:  From seed or cuttings. Sun. Used for seasoning meats, great on pork and also used in herbal teas.

           

Thyme: Light soil, well-drained. Cutting or division. Sun. Aromatic foliage for seasoning. Varieties include lemon, orange, and wooly.

March Gardening

It's time to plant warm-season annuals, such as cosmos, petunias, lantanas and marigolds, these will add easy color to your garden.